Two TKIs go head-to-head in squamous cell carcinoma of the lung study
June 3rd 2015In patients with advanced squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), afatinib significantly improved overall survival (OS) compared to erlotinib, according to data presented at the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago.
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PCORI awards prison system $2M to study naltrexone benefit in opioid abuse
June 2nd 2015The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) recently awarded more than $2 million to the University of Pennsylvania for research on opioid addiction treatment and relapsing in the Philadelphia Prison System. The study assesses the effectiveness of naltrexone to prevent relapse.
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Drug approved for rare, lung disease that strikes younger women
June 1st 2015Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare, progressive lung disease that primarily affects women of childbearing age. The FDA has approved sirolimus (Rapamune, Pfizer) as the first drug to treat LAM. Rapamune was originally approved to prevent organ rejection.
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Once-daily maintenance combo drug approved for COPD
June 1st 2015FDA approved once-daily tiotropium bromide and olodaterol (Stiolto Respimat, Boehringer Ingelheim) Inhalation Spray as a long-term, once-daily maintenance treatment of airflow obstruction in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema.
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COPD fixed-dose combo enhances lung function
June 1st 2015Because lung function can be substantially reduced by the time most chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients first see a physician, maintenance treatment should be considered at the time of diagnosis, according to new data analyses presented at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) 2015 International Conference.
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Investigational dual bronchodilator improves lung function over single bronchodilators in COPD
May 29th 2015In patients with moderate-to-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), investigational indacaterol/glycopyrronium (QVA149) bromide significantly improved lung function compared to the single bronchodilators, according to data presented at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) International Conference in Denver, May 15 to 20.
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Proposed Medicaid rule: 7 things health execs should know
May 29th 2015The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed to modernize Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) managed care regulations to update the programs’ rules and strengthen the delivery of quality care for beneficiaries. This proposed rule is the first major update to Medicaid and CHIP managed care regulations in more than 10 years.
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Grassroots FDA partnership aims to reduce heart disease deaths
May 28th 2015FDA has joined nonprofit National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention to advance the cause of a heart-healthy and stroke-free society in a first-of-its-kind cooperative public education program to reduce the burdens of heart disease and stroke.
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Breast cancer drug research roundup from ASCO
May 28th 2015Among the many poster sessions being presented at the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago, IL, are several on the latest trials that are planned to evaluate potential treatment options for breast cancer. These trials include 1 phase 2 study and 3 phase 3 studies.
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